The Shadow
In an exhilarating finish in Monday night’s game against the Buffalo Gap Bisons, the Varsity Lady Cougars took down their formidable opponents with mere seconds remaining on the clock, overcoming them by just two points. The final score was Alleghany Cougars 35, Buffalo Gap Bisons 33. The Lady Cougars played against the Bisons last week on December 4, but were defeated 41-30. Sufficed to say, they were undoubtedly looking to turn it around this time.
“I wish it wasn’t so exhilarating,” head coach Jeff Wolfe stated after the game. “The kids are playing well… we’re just having some trouble putting the ball in the basket. We’re gonna keep working and the shots will fall. Right now, shots just aren’t falling and that makes things a lot harder sometimes.”
The Lady Cougars got off to a good start, pulling ahead of the Bisons early on in the game and leaving them with a 12-point deficit at the end of the first quarter, leaving the score 13-1 Cougars. However, that margin fell to 6 points by halftime when the Cougars were only up 23-17.
The third quarter would further reduce their lead. As pointed out by Coach Wolfe, the Lady Cougars struggled to “put the ball in the basket,” sinking just a two-pointer and foul shot, while the Bisons made ground and put in 7. By the end of the third, the Cougars were up by only 2 points. It was 26-24.
The fourth quarter provided the fans with a will-they, won’t they experience as the Bisons —for the first time the entire game— pulled away from the Cougars by two, making the score 28 Bisons, 26 Cougars with 5:31 remaining on the clock. A free throw would extend their lead by one. From there, it was back and forth. Ty’Aieja Smith closed the gap with a two-pointer, making the score 28 Cougars, 29 Bisons with 5:00 remaining. Bryce Leitch would then hit a three to get the Cougars ahead by two. Following a couple free throws and 2-pointer, the Bisons were back in the lead 33-31 with 1:17 remaining on the clock.
Then, with 57.5 seconds remaining, Macyn Cash nailed a two to tie it up 33 all. Leitch’s two-pointer, with 18 seconds on the clock, would clinch the victory for the Lady Cougars, putting them with a final score of 35-33.
The Lady Cougars are now 4-1 and are looking to make it 5-1 when they play against Fort Defiance tonight in the AHS gymnasium. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
Individual Scoring:
Leitch 7, Nicely 7, Stayton 7, Fridley 5, Smith 4, Cash 2, Heighter 2, Dressler 1
